[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 115 (Tuesday, August 16, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 16, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                   CRIME: SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT

  Mr. DOLE. Madam President, I just want to take a few moments to set 
the record straight concerning a comment made by the distinguished 
majority leader, Senator Mitchell, on last Sunday's ``Meet the Press'' 
news show and today by the distinguished Senator from Delaware, Senator 
Biden.
  On ``Meet the Press,'' Senator Mitchell suggested that I had no right 
to complain about the huge amounts of social spending now contained in 
the crime bill since Senate Republicans offered prevention amendments 
to the crime bill last November. It is my understanding that Senator 
Mitchell read from amendments offered by Senators Domenici, Danforth, 
and myself.

  I will not speak to the Danforth and Domenici amendments, but I will 
say a few words about my amendment. My amendment had two purposes: 
First, to toughen the penalties for those who engage in gang-related 
violence, and second, to provide funding for ``gang prevention'' 
grants. The amendment passed by a bipartisan vote of 60 to 38.
  As I understand it, the section of my amendment dealing with ``gang 
prevention'' was originally part of the crime bill reported out of the 
Judiciary Committee by the chairman of the committee, Senator Biden. 
The ``prevention'' language was crafted by Senator Biden, not by me or 
any other Senate Republican. In fact, I included the Biden language in 
my amendment in order to attract Democrat support for the tough 
antigang penalties.

  Yes, there was a good deal of social spending in the crime bill 
passed by the Senate last November. But the Senate bill did not have 
the $1.8 billion local partnership act; or the $900 million model 
cities intensive grant program; or the $650 million youth employment 
and skills grant program; or most of the other multimillion-dollar 
social programs that have now become part of the conference report.
  The bottom line is that the crime bill left the Senate with a price 
tag of $22 billion. The conference report now authorizes a staggering 
$33 billion, a 50-percent increase. Obviously, somewhere along the way, 
the crime bill was hijacked by the big-dollar social spenders. This is 
not the fault of Republicans. It is the fault of the liberal Democrats 
who dominated the conference committee.

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